Art of muting instruments of the viol class



B. E. MILLS.

\ ART OF MUTING INSTRU MENTS OF THE VIOL CLASS.

APPLICATION mm JULY 8,1921.

1,431,677, Patented Oct. 10,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B. E. MILES? ART OF MUTING INSTRUMENTS OF THE VKOL CLASS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8.1921;

1,431,677, Patented Oct. 10, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- have/2%]? ZZZ; l I 4 6..

Patented Oct. 10, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BER'I'IE E. MILLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MILLS NOVELTYCOMPANY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ART OF MUTING INSTRUMENTS OF THE VIOL CLASS.-

Application filed July 8, 1921.

To all 'wimm it may concern.

Be it known that I, BERTIE E. Minus, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in the Art of Muting Instrumentsof the Viol Class, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the artof muting instruments of the viol class and is fully vdescribed andexplained in the specification and illustrated in the'accompanying draw-T have immediately devised my invention for use on self-playing violins,and more especially on electric self-playing violins of the typerepresented, for example, in United States Letters Patent to Henry K.Sandell of which Nos. 807 ,7 41 and 1,085,943 may be referred to; and Itherefore confine the following description to that particular use andillustrate it in that connection in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is abroken plan view of an electric self-playing violin of the type referredto showing the application of my invention; Figure 2 is a section on theirregular line 2--2, Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a broken sectional viewillustrating the muting device in dotted elevation, and Figure 4 is adiagram explanatory of the principle upon which my invention operates;and Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4 of Fig. 2.

The violin 5, as explained in any of the aforesaid patents, iselectrically played by sounders 6, 6 or bows on rotary shafts 7, 7, onefor each string 8, stretched in the usual manner over a bridge 9, theshafts being driven by an electric motor 10 having its shaft suitablygeared to each, the gearing being enclosed in a housing 11. The shafts 7are carried, near their forward ends, to maintain the Sounders normallyraised off the strings, by bent levers 12 each connected at one end witha different shaft 7 and between their ends with a rock-shaft 13journaled in suitable bearings on the frame of the machine, the leversbeing spaced apart by collars 14 on the rock-shaft and carrying at theirrear ends armatures 15 provided to be worked by an electromagnet 16forrocking the levers to apply Serial No. 483,159.

the constantly rotating sounders to the violin-strings.

The parts thus far described are substantially the same in constructionand operation as the corresponding parts in the aforesaid Patent No.1,085,943, and the foregoing more or less general description thereof isbelieved to suflice for identifying them and enabling their co-operationwith the present muting invention, as applied to the particularinstrument, to be readily understood. Other parts of the mechanismillustrated in the drawings and including the fingering elements, ofwhich two are represented at 17 in Fi 1, correspond with those in thePatent in). 1,085,943 and do not require description in the presentconnection to assist in an understanding of the muting devicehereinafter described.

A rosin-holder 18 is vibratorily supported to extendover the fourrotatory 'sounders. This holder is in the form of an elongatedrectangular box open at top and bottom with an inturned bottom-flangefor seating cakes of rosin on the flanges to float or ride on therotatory 'sounders 6. An arm 19 extends from the box and terminates in adepending shoe 20, at which the box is pivotally supported on the shaft13 and has secured to it a leg 21 connected at its upper bent end by acoiled spring 22 with the frame at 23 and terminating at its lower endin an armature 24. An electromagnet 25, supported to present its pole tothe armature, is included in the circuit of a generator, conventionallyrepresented at 26 (Fig. 2), a switch being indicated at 27 in thecircuit. A bent arm 28 extends from a part of the frame at 29 along oneside of the box 18 and is provided near its forward end with an upwardlyextending bifurcated finger 30, in which is fulcrumed a curved lever 31.containing an elongated inclined or cam slot 32, through which a stud 33projects from the adjacent side of the rosin-box. The lower end of thislever alines with the adjacent lateral edge of the bridge and carries toregister with that edge a contact member, shown as a sharpened stem 34.

When the electromagnet 25 is energized to attract the armature 24,resultant depression of the box 18 causes the stud 33, by its movementin the slot 32, to u n t le on its fulcrum and bear the stem 34: againstthe edge of the bridge with the effect or deadening the resonance, thesame as that of the ordinary mute applied to the bridge in the ordinarymanner.

In theparticular application shown and described oi? my mutinginvention, the stem is caused to contact with a lateral edge of thebridge, but the muting eiiect may be pro duced by contacting it with anypart oi": the bridgesuriiace above the base of the bridge.

The diagrammatic showing in Fig. Li; illus trates the principle of myinvention. A bellcrank form of lever 31 t'ulcrun ed at'SO has one armextending as an armature across a stop 35 and the pole ot' anelectromagnet 25 in the circuit of an electric generator 26 containing aswitch 27"; and the stem 34* on the depending lever-arm registers withthe adjacent edge of the bridge 9" on the belly 5 or a violin, wherebyenergizing the electromagnet to attract the armature turns the bellcrankto produce the muting contact.

While the electromagnet for operating my muting device is shown inan'electric circuit containing a switch, represented in conventionalform, it is to be understood that the circuit may be opened and closedautomatically through appropriate perforations in a travellingmusic-sheet, or from akey-board having the keys electrically connectedwith the lingering-mechanism of the violin for playing it and having akey or other means for controlling the mute-operating circuit. I realizethat considerable variation is possible in the details of theconstruction herein shown and I do not intend to limit my inventionthereto except as pointed out in the following claims, in which it is myintention to'claim all the novelty inherent in the invention as broadlyas permissible by the state ofthe art.

I claim: I

1. In combination with an automaticallyplayed instrument of the violclass, a muting device comprising a lever fulcrumed adja cent the bridgeof the instrument and terminating at one end in a sharpenedcontactmember registering at its attenuated end with a lateral edge oisaid bridge, and means for impelling said member against saidbridge-edge. v j

in combination with an instrument of the viol class automatically playedby Sounders rotating against the strings, a rosin-holder supported toextend over the sounders, means for depressing said holder and a mutingdevice connected with said holder to be actuated by its depression intomuting contact with the bridge of the instrument.

3. In combination with an instrun'icnt of the viol class autonmticallyplayed by sounders rotating against the strin a rosinholdor pivotallysupported to ClilXJHl. over the sounders, a springretracted armatureconnected with said holder, an electromagnet in an electric circuit andpresenting its pole to attract said armature and depress therosin-holder, and a mutingdevice connected with said holder lo beactuated by its 5 pr ssion into muting Contact with the bridge of theinstrument.

4t. In combination with an instrument of the viol class automaticallyplayed by sounders rotating against the strings, a rosin-holderpivotally supported to extend over the sounders and carrying a stud, amutting device comprising a lever tulcrumec adjacent said holder andprovided with a cam-slot engaged by said stud, said lever terminating ina stem registering with the adjacent edge of the bridge of the instrument, a spring-retracted armature connected with said holder, and anelectromagnetin an electric circuit and presenting its pole to attractsaid armature and depress the rosinholder to actuate said lever to impelsaid stem into muting contact with said bridgeedge.

I 5. In combination with an automaticallyplayed instrument of theviolclass, an electric circuit, a lever tulcrumed adjacent the bridge of theinstrument and carrying a contact member, and means in said circuit toautomatically operate said lever to impel the contact member carriedthereby against the bridge of the instrument.

6. In combination with. an automatically played instrument of the V101class, an electric circuit, a lever fulcrumed adjacent the brldge oi theinstrument and carrying a contact member, and an electromagnetin saidoircu tto automatical'iy operate said lever to impel the contact membercarried thereby against the bridge out thoinstrument.

Ml i'il lS.

